📍 UOD | 🗓️ June 7, 2025 - University Press Office (UNPO) | On June 5 and in a groundbreaking academic and cultural initiative, the University of Duhok (UOD) and University of Zakho co-hosted a high-level meeting to advance the standardization of Kurdish orthography in the Arabic script, specifically for the Bahdini Kurmanji dialect. This pivotal event marks a significant step toward shaping a unified writing system for Kurdish education and digital applications.

🏛️ Strategic Participation and Vision

The roundtable brought together prominent figures including:

• Ms. Amina Zukri, Member of the Political Bureau of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK)
• Mr. Majid Sayed Salih, Deputy Governor of Duhok
• Dr. Diyar Abdulkareem Saeed, President of University of Zakho
• Dr. Aree Adel Abdulqader, President of Duhok Polytechnic University
• Dr. Manhal Ilham Abdal, President of Akre University for Applied Sciences
• Dr. Hogar Tahir Tawfiq, Vice President of Nawroz University
• Muayyad Tayeb (Representative of Kurdish Academy).
• Ehsan Amedi (Head of Khani Agency of Culture and Media).
• Hassan Sulevani (President of Kurdish Writers Union-Duhok).
• Omar Ali Taha (Director General of Education of Duhok).
• Salam Haso Biro (Director General of Education Zakho).

Dr. Dawood Sulaiman Atrushi, UOD President emphasized the long-term academic and societal implications of the initiative:

“Standardizing Kurdish spelling is not only a linguistic need—it’s a cultural and strategic necessity, especially for digital transformation and AI integration.”

📝 Project Background and Objectives

The initiative is part of a broader project led by UOD and University of Zakho to unify spelling rules of Kurdish written in Arabic script, thereby:

• Facilitating consistent language instruction across educational institutions
  
  
• Creating a solid foundation for AI language processing and digital Kurdish platforms
  
  
• Supporting digitization efforts within the framework of UOD’s Digital Transformation, Strategy Data and Normalization Guide.
  
  

Detailed presentations were delivered by Dr. Abdulsalam Najmadin (Zakho Center for Kurdish Studies) and Dr. AbuObaida Abdullah Dheyab (Dean, College of Languages at UOD), outlining the project's rationale, methodology, and roadmap. They highlighted the need for unified linguistic policies in education, publishing, and digital infrastructures.

🤝 Institutional Consensus and Future Roadmap

Participants praised the initiative and expressed their full support. A consensus was reached to adopt the Kurdish Orthography Guide as the reference standard, following a structured mechanism involving all academic and governmental stakeholders.

Key next steps:

• Finalizing the Kurdish spelling guide in Arabic script
  
  
• Institutional endorsement and rollout across academic and governmental platforms
  
  
• Implementation in digital archives, AI systems, and school curricula

The meeting also included a visit to the UOD Botanical Garden, where they got to know its sections and the aims behind establishing it.

📈 Strategic Relevance for UOD

This initiative directly aligns with the UOD Strategic Plan 2023–2038, particularly its priorities on:

• Cultural heritage preservation and modernization
  
  
• Kurdish language standardization and research
  
  
• Digital transformation and linguistic AI integration
  
  
• Inter-university and government-academic collaboration

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE MEDIA COVERAGE FOR THIS EVENT

📢 University Press Office – June 7, 2025
📝 Reported by: Ismat Mahmood Mohammed
📸 Photography by: Mohammed Abdulkareem Tahir

🔍 The News Keywords:

• Kurdish Spelling Standardization
• University of Duhok Language Project
• Kurdish Orthography Guide
• Bahdini Kurdish Education Reform
• Duhok Language AI Integration